Starpoint Gemini - Review @ Out of Eight

Another high point of Starpoint Gemini is the tactical combat. Before you can make space dust out of the enemy, you have to enter combat mode, a completely unnecessary requirement that harkens back to Star Trek (the only thing missing is the sound effect). The combat revolves around weapon arcs: you must orient your ship towards the targeted enemy vessel. Another consideration is shields, which are divided into four quadrants (front, back, two sides): once the shields are removed on a specific portion of the ship, any additional hits cause damage to the hull. So Starpoint Gemini becomes a matter of positioning, much like combat naval simulations. The interface should do a better job indicating which weapons are ready and available to fire: there is a subtle increase in brightness, but that’s not enough in the heat of battle. You can target specific systems of the enemy ship (weapons, engines, shields), taking out their strength first and leaving them vulnerable. To accentuate the combat, each ship comes with one of twenty-one special abilities, including jamming, disable engines, reduce speed, instant movement, and an array of special powerful weapons. You can also board vessels if you have invested in perks and abilities geared towards that specific strategy. The AI is pretty good at combat, attacking vulnerable sides, maneuvering out of position, and using special skills; disabling their engines makes them less crafty. The tactical combat of Starpoint Gemini rounds out a compelling package that, despite some limitations, offers great features for a space adventure title.

Upgrades Starpoint Gemini to version 1.0.0.5
*When you change ship, Grappling beam and transporter are now re-equipped.
*Fixed a bug where active fighters didn't get flushed from memory when changing maps.
*Sector Zero is now inaccessible, until required otherwise.
*Fixed target lock instability after loading.
*Fixed a bug concerning Captains log, with possible issues appearing when Log was filled to the max and Freelance missions get reactivated.
*When docking/undocking HUD is now deactivated.
*When docking/undocking shortcuts are now deactivated.
*Gemini map shortcut now opens and closes the panel.
*Fixed a bug where shortcuts could be triggered while typing a save game name.
*Fixed various bugs in the Options panel
*Fixed a bug where launching fighters in a sector with max ship numbers could cause CTD.
*Ships that must be destroyed by quest will now self destruct when captured.
*Various errors fixed in texts and panels.
*Power to Shields maneuver increases Shield recharge by 15%,25%,35% per level and reduces Speed and Weapons reload by 7%,10%,13%.
*Power to Weapons maneuver speeds up Reload by 15%,25%,35% per level and reduces Speed and Shield recharge by 7%,10%,13%.
*Power to Engines maneuver raises speed by 40%,70%,100% per level and reduces Reload and Shield recharge by 20%,25%,30%.
*Transport range is now accurately taken into account when attempting transport.
*Transport is now interrupted when exiting Transport range (except when boarding ships)
*Fixed a bug where switching target lock while transporting switched transport target as well.
*Fixed a bug where capturing a ship didn't automatically end when the capture target died.
*Fixed a bug where ships would respawn instantly.
*Fixed a bug where player could get attacked while docked.
*Fixed a bug where captured ship could not be destroyed.
*Fixed a bug where all station docks could be filled while attempting docking during combat.
*AI allies will no longer attack a ship player has captured.
*Fixed numerous smaller bugs.